Rubber-heel protector.



HARDESTY. RUBBER HEEL PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. m5.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

BLAIR HABDESTY, OF CLIFTON FORGE, VIRGINIA.

RUBBER-HEEL rno'rnc'ron.

LQUWHWY.

mun-n Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. is, rare.

Application filed September 2, 1915. Serial 1! o. 4:8,688.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLAIR HAnDns'rY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clifton Forge, in the county of Alleghany and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber- Heel Protectors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such, as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in heels and more particularly to protectors for rubber heels, and the primary object of this invention is to provide an improved protector of this character adapted to be embedded in -a heel, and having portions of the same extending to the lower surface of the heel, to reinforce the said heel, and to prevent the portion upon which the greatest wear is placed from being worn down.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heel protector of this character which has embodied therein an improved means for firmly and securely holding the same into engagement with the heel.

, A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple and durable' in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and one whichwill be very efiicient in operation.

With these and numerous other objects in view, my invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, which will be herein referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1' is a bottom view of the protector applied to a heel; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the protector before the terminals ofthe same are bent; Fig. {l is a perspective view of the protector showing the same ready to be applied to a heel, and Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

In describing'my invention, I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views andin which the numeral 1 designates a heel ofthe ordinary shape, which in this instance is shown as being composed of rubber.

My improved protector is adapted to be embedded in the heel 1 at a point at one side of the center of the rear outer edge of the same, at which point the greatest wear is on the heel, when the same is in constant use. piece 2 composed out any preferred kind of suitable metal, zig-zag in shape, being shown in this instance in the shape of This particular shape of the flat metal piece 2 causes the base portion of the same a have positioned in its side edges a plurality of notches disposed in staggered relation, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and L of the drawings. The opposite sides 3 and 4 of the metal piece are bent laterally at right angles, and are disposed'in arcuate series. Tlns metal. piece 2 is adapted to be embedded in the rubber heel 1 at a point midway between the upper and lower surfaces of the said heel, and the bent terminals of the same are adapted to extend downwardly and have their lower edges 5 flush with the lower surface of the said heelf When in this position which is clearly shown in Fig.

1 of the drawings, the lower edges of the SQ said protector will be disposed around a point adjacent one edge of the heel, in an arc corresponding to the arc of said heel.

This metal protector 2 has formed therethrough a plurality of openings 6 which are adapted when the said protector is embedded in the heel, to allow the rubber to extend through said openings, thereby forming anadditionalv reinforcing means so that the protector will be additionally firmly and securely held in this position.

In use, when this protector is positioned in the rubber heel as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that owing to. this position which has been hereinbefore described, the only portion of the same which is visible will be the outer edges 5, which will be disposed in the same are as the are formed by the curvature of the outer edge ofthe heel This protector owing to its position where the most wear is placed upon the heel, will, by means of the I projecting bent portions of the sides 3 and 4 of the same, take up all the said wear upon a This protector comprises a fiat metal 60 the metal edges of the same. This will greatly protect the heel which is very liable to Wear, and at the same time it will form a reinforcing means which will strengthen the said heel.

The zig-zag shape of the metal protector gives the same a certain amount of flexibility, and also presents an uneven edge along either side of the base portion when greatly the-protector is in position. This uneven edge breaks the continuous line over which the rubber of the heel flexes when in use,

' and thereby decreases the liability (if the said rubber cracking or breaking at that point. If this edge was continuous, as if for instance the protector were made of a single piece of metal, the portion of the rubber heel that fits over the unbroken edge of the rigid protector would in a short while break under the strain, but by my improved zig-zag shape, the staggered notches formed thereby in the side edges of the embedded base portion of the protector, overcome this fault and form a strong and durable device of this character.

From. the foregoing description of the construction of my improved device, the

manner of applying the same to use, and the operation thereof will be readily understood, and it will be seen that I have provided a simple, inexpensive, and eflicient means for carrying out the objects of this invention.

I claim:

1. A heel protector formed from asingle piece of metal comprising a base and opposite sides said base havin notches in its side edges disposed in staggered relation,

and the sides of the protector extending laterally from the base with their extremities disposed in a single plane.

2. A heel protector formed from a single piece of metal comprising an arcuate base and opposite sides, said base having notches in its side edges disposed in staggered relation,the sides of said protector extending laterally from the base at right angles thereto and disposed in arcuate spaced series with their outer edges disposed in a single plane, said base and sides having apertures therethrough.

3. The combination with a heel, of a metal protector comprising an arcuate base and opposite sides embedded therein at a point intermediate the upper and lower surfaces BLAIR HARDESTY.

Witnesses L. H. BUNCH, J. G. FRY. 

